Introduction
In July students from most of the UK's schools, colleges and universities are
on holiday. Many tourists arrive, especially from other European countries. It
is one of the warmest months and the days are long. This is the most popular time
for outdoor events. Go out walking and enjoy the British countryside. There are
free concerts in many of the larger parks: check your local park for information
about their events. If you want to plan travel in the UK or Europe, see the Travel
section for information about tourism, travel and holiday accommodation. There
is a busy sporting calendar, including Henley (rowing), Wimbledon (tennis), the
British Open (golf), and cricket. Flowers are in full bloom: visit the flower
shows at Hampton Court Palace or Tatton Park, or gardens throughout the country.
If you like classical music, don't miss the Proms concerts which start in July
and continue until September. Early July is the time for summer sales in many
shops.

Ramadan
Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. It lasts 30 days,
starting and ending with an official sighting of the new moon. Healthy Muslims
who follow this tradition are not supposed to eat or drink between dawn
and sunset during Ramadan - they eat meals just before and after these times.
It is also a spiritual time: Muslims are encouraged to pray, to do good
deeds (avoiding bad behaviour, thoughts or sights), and if possible to spend
time with family members. At the end of this period there is a celebration
called Eid al-Fitr.
For further information, see: http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/ramadan-begins
or http://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/ramadan/ramadan-timetable

Mon 22 Jun -
Fri 10 Jul 2015

City of London Festival, London
Music and dance festival in the area of central London known as "the
City". See: http://www.colf.org.
Events include free lunchtime concerts in the City's churches or squares.

Mon 29 Jun -
Sun 12 Jul 2015

Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, London
A world-famous tennis competition at Wimbledon (in south London). Play is
on grass courts. For detailed information, see the official Wimbledon website:
http://www.wimbledon.org.
You can watch on television on BBC1 or BBC2, or listen to matches on BBC
Radio 5 Live.
* More details about Wimbledon (including how to get tickets): Life/Sport/Tennis.

Tue 30 Jun -
Sun 5 Jul 2015

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, Hampton Court
The world's largest annual garden and flower show takes place at Hampton
Court, near London (map).
It is organised by the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society). Only RHS members
can visit on Tuesday and Wednesday; anyone can visit on Thursday, Friday,
Saturday or Sunday. Plants can be bought on any day (you can leave them
in the plant creche and collect them when you leave). The easiest way to
get there is take a train from London Waterloo to Hampton Court (Hampton
Court is in zone 6). It is a 15 minute walk from the train station to the
show, but if you prefer you can take a boat.
For further details of the show and how to get there, see: http://www.rhs.org.uk/hamptoncourt.
You can watch highlights of the show on BBC television.
* Pictures from the event: Ideas/Album/HamptonCourt

Don Giovanni (opera), UK
Free public screenings of a live performance from London's Royal Opera House,
as one of the events of the BP Summer Big Screens season.
Tonight you can see the opera Don Giovanni (by Mozart), starting at 7:30pm.
Screenings will be held in various locations across the UK (in London the
screens will be in Trafalgar Square and in Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf)
See: http://www.roh.org.uk/about/bp-big-screens
* Concerts: Life/Entertainment/Concerts

Cricket: 1st Test, England v Australia, SWALEC (Cardiff)
The first of five test matches between England and Australia (the winner
of the series receives "the Ashes"). This game is played at the
SWALEC cricket ground in Cardiff, Wales.
* Cricket: Life/Sport/Cricket

Wimbledon Tennis Tournament: Women's Final, London
The second last day of Wimbledon, including the women's final. Live action
is shown on BBC1 and BBC2.
* More details: Life/Sport/Tennis

Sun 12 Jul 2015

Wimbledon Tennis Tournament: Men's Final, London
The last day of Wimbledon, including the men's final. Live action is shown
on BBC1 and BBC2.
* More details: Life/Sport/Tennis

Wimbledon: a game of doubles

Wimbledon: tennis umpire

Sun 12 Jul -
Sun 19 Jul 2015

British Open Championship, St Andrew's (Scotland)
In 2015 the British major golf tournament takes place at St Andrew's (in
Scotland). This event can be watched on BBC2. For details, see: http://www.theopen.com.
* Golf in the UK: Life/Sport/Golf

Sun 12 Jul 2015

The British 10k London, London
A road race through the heart of London. Thousands of people take part to
raise money for charity. The race starts at about 9:30am and follows this
route: Piccadilly (the start is near the Hard Rock Cafe), Pall Mall, Trafalgar
Square, Victoria Embankment, St Paul's Cathedral, Victoria Embankment, Westminster
Bridge, Whitehall (the finish). For details of how to enter the race or
how to go and watch, see: http://www.thebritish10klondon.co.uk.
* Sport in the UK: Life/Sport

Tue 14 Jul 2015

Bastille Day (Fête Nationale), Paris (France)
14th July is France's largest national holiday. On the previous evening
(13th July) there is dancing on the streets near the Bastille and in other
parts of Paris, organised by the Fire Brigade (known as "bals des sapeurs-pompiers").
In the morning there is a parade by the military and the Fire Brigade along
the Champs Elysées (starting at about 10am). This is led by the French
President and includes a flypast by military aircraft. There is usually
a free concert in the evening on the Champs de Mars (near the Eiffel Tower).
This is followed by fireworks ("feux d'artifice") accompanied
by music - the display starts after dark, usually at about 10:30pm. Note
that there can be very large crowds so you should arrive early - be prepared
for difficulties if trying to use the Metro in the areas around the main
celebrations. See: http://en.parisinfo.com
or http://www.paris.fr/english.
* Visitor guide to Paris: Travel/Tours/Paris

Thu 16 Jul -
Mon 20 Jul 2015

Cricket: 2nd Test, England v Australia, Lord's (London)
The second of five test matches between England and Australia (the winner
of the series receives "the Ashes"). This game is played at Lord's
cricket ground in London
* Cricket: Life/Sport/Cricket

Fri 17 Jul -
Sat 12 Sep 2015

Proms, London
The BBC Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. A series of classical concerts
in London at the Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall. All of the concerts
are broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, and some are shown on BBC TV. For full
details, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms.
* Further details: Life/Entertainment/Concerts

Cricket: 3rd Test, England v Australia, Edgbaston (Birmingham)
The third of five test matches between England and Australia (the winner
of the series receives "the Ashes"). This game is played at the
Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham
* Cricket: Life/Sport/Cricket

Events for which dates have not been confirmed (or which may not be taking
place this year) - check the links for the latest details: